A police car parked outside a Jewish school, in Amsterdam, where an explosion was reported overnight.
Blast outside Jewish school in Amsterdam, no injuries: mayor
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- An overnight explosion damaged the exterior wall of the Cheider Jewish school in Buitenveldert; no injuries occurred, but Mayor Femke Halsema denounced it as a "cowardly act" caught on CCTV.
- The attack follows separate bombings at synagogues in Rotterdam and Liège this week, prompting Prime Minister Rob Jetten to declare that antisemitism has "no place in the Netherlands".
An overnight blast against an exterior wall of a Jewish school in Amsterdam did not cause any injuries, Mayor Femke Halsema said Saturday, denouncing "a cowardly act of aggression".
An investigation has been opened and the incident comes after nighttime attacks this week in front of synagogues in the Belgian city of Liege and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.
Haslema condemned the attack in a statement, noting that Amsterdam's Jewish community has been "increasingly often confronted with antisemitism and this is unacceptable."
"A school must be a place where children can attend classes in complete safety. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live in safety," she said.
The police and fire departments quickly arrived at the scene of the blast in Buitenveldert district in the south of Amsterdam, the statement said.
"The material damage is limited," the mayor said.
The police have CCTV footage of a person placing the explosive device, Halsema said.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the incident "terrible" on X and said "Antisemitism has no place in the Netherlands."
"I understand the anger and fear this provokes, and I will quickly meet with the Jewish community. It must always feel safe in our country," he added.
